Lifting and transporting apparatus



Feb. 11, 1958 T.' E. BAXENDELL LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING APPARATUS Filed June 10. 1955 INVENTOR.

72 0/1445 5 54XEA/06ZL B 9, a).

United States Patent LIFTING AND TRANSPORTING APPARATUS Thomas E. Baxendell, Clair-ton, Pa.

Application June 10, 1955, Serial No. 514,459

2 Claims. (Cl. 254-2) Generally speaking, the present invention relates to the lifting and transporting apparatus art and, more particularly, it relates to lifting and transporting apparatus cooperable for engagingside and/orbottom portions of an object to be transported (usually at spaced regions) and selectively operable to lift and transport said object; said apparatus being cooperable to expedite the lifting and transporting of objects (usually household objects, such as refrigerators, furniture, etc.) and, in the present specifically illustrated form being particularly adapted for household or small business use although not so limited.

While applicant is aware of the fact that a very considerable number of lifting and transporting apparatus have been developed in the past, most of these are not adaptable for the purposes set forth in the preceding paragraph.

It is further true that most prior art forms of lifting and transporting apparatus have been limited to heavy industrial use in factories, warehouses, etc., and are not simple and economical enough for private use.

The present invention is so constructed that simple lifting and trans-porting apparatus can be made available to the individual for use in such areas as a household, small business, etc.

Generally speaking, the lifting and transporting apparatus of the present invention may include: a base provided with underlying caster means rotatably cooperable with respect to an underlying supporting surface; said base usually being provided with a stationary upwardly-extending member and movable carriage means mounted (usually vertically reciprocatively) with respect to the upwardly extending member and also being provided with selectively operable linear actuator means effectively cooperable with respect to the movable carriage means and with respect to the stationary upwardly extending member for selectively vertically reciprocating said movable carriage means with respect to said upwardly extending member in an upward direction and in a downward direction; and an object-engaging member carried by said movable carriage means adjacent the bottom thereof and (usually laterally) ofifset therefrom in a position (usually laterally) adjacent to said base and on the opposite side of said upwardly extending member from said base.

From the above description of basic and preferred generic forms of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that virtually all of the disadvantages of prior art lifting and transporting apparatus are virtually entirely eliminated and overcome in and through the use of the present invention.

For example, it is obvious that the present invention is readily adaptable for individual use in a household or small business.

With the above points in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide lifting and transporting apparatus of cheap, simple, novel, easy-to-operate and easy-to-maintain construction capable of lifting and trans- Fat ted Feb. 11, 1958 porting objects (usually household, or small business, objects, such as refrigerators, furniture, etc.) easily and economically.

Other and allied objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art after a careful perusal, examination, and study of the accompanying illustrations, the present specification and the appended claims.

To facilitate understanding, reference will be made to the hereinbelow-described drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of Fig. l

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view as seen from the left side of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view as seen from the right side of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced-size perspective view illustrating an object lifting and transporting system comprising two of the devices shown in Figs. 14 in cooperative supporting and transporting relationship with respect to an object (shown in broken lines) which is to be moved.

Generally speaking, the lifting and transporting'apparatus of the present invention usually includes a base 1 (usually virtually horizontal) having a straight edge 2 terminating in two ends, and being provided with multiple spaced (usually spherical) caster means 3 rotatable in any direction for rolling cooperation with respect to .a virtually flat underlying supporting surface (not shown). In one preferred form of the present invention, said base 1 is provided with a stationary, usually upwardly extending, member 4 usually positioned adjacent said straight edge 2 and usually virtually equidistant from said two ends of said straight edge 2.

Also included is moveable carriage means 5 usually vertically reciprocatively mounted with respect to the upward extending member 4 for relative vertical move ment with respect thereto, and selectively operable linear actuator means 6 effectively cooperable with respect to the movable carriage means 5 and with respect to the stationary upwardly extending member 4 for selectively vertically reciprocating said movable carriage means 5 with respect to said upwardly extending member 4 inan upward direction and in a downward direction, and an object engaging member 7 carried by the movable carriage means 5 and laterally oifset therefrom on the opposite side of said upwardly extending member 4 from said base 1.

In one preferred form of the present invention, said object engaging member 7 may include a virtually flat, virtually horizontal portion 8 at the bottom thereof, positioned adjacent the bottom of the movable carriage means 5 and extending (usually virtually horizontally) therefrom in a direction opposite from but laterally adjacent to said base 1, and said object engaging member including a virtually flat, virtually vertical portion 9 ex tending vertically along the opposite side of the carriage means 5 from said base 1.

In one specific form, said horizontal and vertical portions of the object-engaging member 8 are provided with upper and outer surfaces 10, respectively, of surfaceroughened resilient elastomeric material for frictional non-marring engagement with the bottom and side portions, respectively, of the object to be transported. This is best shown in Fig. 5, which illustrates an object lift ing and transporting system comprising two of the do vices shown in Figs. 1-4 in cooperative supporting and transporting relationship with respect to an object (shown in broken lines) which is to be moved.

It should be noted that the selectively operable linear actuator means 6 (and also the selectively operable direction reversing lever 6A thereof) are not shown in detail since such linear actuators (and reversing means) per so are well known in the art and do not comprise the real inventive novelty of the present invention.

Numerous modifications and variations of the present invention will occur to those skilled in the art after a careful study hereof. All such, properly within the basic spirit, scope and/ or teachings of the present invention are intended to be included and comprehended herein as fully as if specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein.

For example, the base means may be of any width or depth, and might be made of any of a variety of materials (although, in the illustrated form, metal is preferred). The object-engaging member may be provided with any type of (usually frictional) non-marring material for the engagement of the bottom and side portions of the object to be transported.

For further example, the upwardly extending member 5 may be comprised of any one of a number of types of ratchet means cooperable for lifting and/ or lowering an object to be moved.

The exact composition, configuration, relative position ing and cooperative relationship of the various component parts of the present invention are not critical, and may be modified substantially within the basic teachings, spirit and scope of the present invention.

The embodiment of the present invention specifically described, illustrated and claimed herein is exemplary only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, which is intended to be interpreted in the light of the prior art and the appended claims only, with due consideration for the doctrine of equivalents.

I claim:

1. Lifting and transporting apparatus cooperable for engaging perpendicularly related contiguous side and bottom portions of an object to be transported and selectively'operablc to lift and transport said object, comprising: a horizontal base provided with multiple spaced spherical caster means rotatable in any direction for rolling cooperation with respect to a fiat underlying supporting surface; said base being provided with a stationary upwardly extending member positioned adjacent one edge thereof; movable carriage means vertically reciprocativcly mounted on and around the upwardly extending member for relative vertical movement with respect thereto; selectively operable linear actuator means efilectively cooperable with respect to the movable carriage means and with respect to the stationary upwardly extending member for selectively vertically reciprocating said movable carriage means with respect to said upwardly extending member in an upward direction and in a downward direction; and an object engaging member carried by the movable carriage means and laterally offset therefrom on the opposite side of said upwardly extending member from said base, said object engaging member including a flat horizontal portion at the bottom thereof positioned adjacent the bottom of the movable carriage mean and extending horizontally therefrom in a direction opposite from but laterally adjacent to said base, and said object engaging member including a fiat vertical portion extending vertically along the opposite side of the carriage means from said base, said horizontal and vertical portions of the object engaging member being provided with upper and outer surfaces, respectively, of resilient elastomeric material for non-marring engagement with the bottom and side portions, respectively, of the object to be transported, said upper surface of said horizontal portion of the object engaging member and the lower surface of said base lying in substantially the same horizontal plane when said object engaging member is in its extreme lowermost position.

2. Lifting and transporting apparatus cooperable for engaging perpendicularly related contiguous side and bottom portions of an object to be transported and selectively operable to lift and transport said object, comprising: a horizontal base having a straight edge terminating in two ends and being provided with multiple spaced spherical caster means rotatable in any direction for rolling cooperation with respect to a flat underlying supporting surface; said base being provided with a stationary upwardly extending member positioned adjacent said straight edge and equidistant from said two ends of said straight edge; movable carriage means vertically reciprocatively mounted on and around the upwardly extending member for relative vertical movement with respect thereto selectively operable linear actuator means effectively cooperable with respect to the movable carriage means and with respect to the stationary upwardly extending member for selectively vertically reciprocating said movable carriage means with respect to said upwardly extending member in an upward direction and in a downward direction; and an object engaging member carried by the movable carriage means and laterally offset therefrom on the opposite side of said upwardly extending member from said base, said object engaging member including a flat horizontal portion at the bottom thereof positioned adjacent the bottom of the movable carriage means and extending horizontally therefrom in a direction opposite from but laterally adjacent to said base, and said object engaging member including a flat vertical portion extending vertically along the opposite side of the carriage means from said base, said horizontal and vertical portions of the object engaging member being provided with upper and outer surfaces, respectively, of surface-roughened resilient elastomeric material for frictional non-marring engagement with the bottom and side portions, respectively, of the object to be transported, said upper surface of said horizontal portion of the object engaging member and the lower surface of said base lying in substantially the same horizontal plane when said object engaging member is in its extreme lowermost portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

